Archive for April, 2013

Recently, you may have read news headlines about certain “bad” people who hide money in offshore accounts and don’t report the income to the IRS. Some of these headlines involve serious cases of tax evasion with criminal elements. However, many of the recent cases involve something more benign, but nonetheless worthy of huge monetary penalties, known as the Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts Report (FBAR).

Generally speaking, U.S. citizens and residents are required to report all foreign financial accounts on a special form: Form TD F 90-22.1. The FBAR process and its rules are controlled by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). The FinCEN does a great job of ferreting out non-compliance; this is important because the cost of non-compliance can be huge! The starting monetary penalty (there are possible criminal penalties as well) is 50% of the highest balance in the account. This penalty is in addition to all unpaid taxes, interest and tax penalties.

Compliance with FBAR is not intuitive. You need to disclose accounts regardless of whether you earn any money!! Also, you need to disclose all accounts you have signature authority over, even if you don’t actually own the accounts. Part of the issue is that FBAR does not serve ordinary IRS function of, “did you correctly report all your income and pay the appropriate level of tax?” Rather, FBAR is a pure penalty scheme aimed at forcing full disclosure and transparency of global money movements with the hope of improving tax collections.

For those working in the financial world, it can be easy to overlook a non-U.S. account that you have some control over or maintain small economic interest. Moreover, the rules apply to any non-U.S. account: Not just the ones you read about in the Cayman Islands. For example, many finance professionals have a securities or bank account in London – FBAR wants that information also. Even if you are reporting all the income from the account on your federal tax return; you still must disclose the account on the FBAR form or you will be subject to the penalties.

If you’ve had a foreign securities, bank account, or trust for several years and failed to report it, all is not lost. There is a process for coming clean. The Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDI) is a formal process of disclosure, but the soul cleansing it offers is not free of charge. OVDI forces you to pay all back taxes, interest and penalties plus an FBAR penalty as high as 27.5% of the highest balance in the offshore accounts.

It is indeed uncomfortable and expensive to come clean through OVDI. However, failure to do so will, in time, cause you to become the next big headline. Do not get caught up with the wrong crowd and become a headline. The partners at WithumSmith+Brown, PC are experienced in FBAR reporting and compliance and can help you navigate the rules (and stay out of the headlines).

While I was flying to Hong Kong last week, I realized that Dutch entrepreneurs no longer sail the oceans in big ships. They now fly around the world in fast planes. Some of them in the relatively comfort of business class and some in economy class. Those entrepreneurs, however, all have something in common: They see opportunities where other people don’t see them. The good entrepreneurs not only see them, they are bold enough to seize those opportunities and make something happen. They travel around the world and miss out on things that many people find very normal, like a family life.

I’m lucky to have many of those entrepreneurs as my clients. They don’t consider failure as an option and they radiate success. These entrepreneurs make other people believe in the good outcome of their new adventures. The best entrepreneurs make it even seem as it is not a real adventure. For them, it is simply a low hanging fruit that no one noticed before. They only have to grab it.

I admire these people. They form a strong basis for the Dutch export and are also responsible for a lot of employment in The Netherlands. I feel that sometimes they only miss out on the respect of the ones who stay behind.

The items in this blog are informational only and are not meant as professional advice. Consult with your tax advisor to determine how any item applies to your situation. Kimberlee Phelan writes Where In the World, and any opinions expressed or implied are not necessarily shared by anyone else at WithumSmith+Brown.

Author

Kimberlee S. Phelan, CPA, MBA, specializes in international tax, concentrating her efforts on special projects involving corporate tax research and planning, as well as inbound and outbound international structuring for corporations and individuals. She is actively involved in Withum’s international affiliation of firms, HLB International, serving as the co-chair of the HLB North America Tax Services Group as well as co-chair of the HLB International Tax Committee.

Having travelled to over 40 countries, Kimberlee will write about her experiences in this blog, highlighting interesting discoveries, tax and accounting law changes, as well as important business and etiquette tips.